Moules aux frites (mussels with fries)

For those of you who have followed my blog, you have likely noticed that I have quite a few mussel recipes. That’s because I both love them and have had the pleasure of volunteering since 2010 at the Portarlington Mussel Festival, demonstrating how to cook these fabulous molluscs. I am also lucky enough to travel and enjoy trying mussel recipes from around the world whenever I can.

In France, mussels are often served in brasseries. A brasserie is a lively, informal French-style restaurant known for serving traditional, hearty dishes all day long. Picture a bright, bustling dining room with small tables set close together, mirrors or tiles on the walls, and servers weaving through the crowd with large plates. In that relaxed, energetic setting, moules frites isn’t just a menu item — it’s practically a house speciality. I’ve had the sauce based in white wine, in blue cheese, with apple cider, with bacon — the possibilities are almost endless.

Many people are nervous to cook mussels at home and a number of common myths deter the timid cook. Hopefully I can encourage you to give them a try.

When preparing mussels, allow them to rinse in a sink of cool water for about 10 minutes. This helps them open and release some of the seawater and grit within their shells.

De-bearding a mussel can be done the hard way or the easy way.

The hard way — holding the mussel with the pointy end facing up, take hold of the beard and sharply pull it downwards. You can then steam them before adding the mussels to your prepared sauce.

The easy way — steam the mussels open in a cold, empty pan over medium heat (3–5 minutes). The beards can then be easily removed with a gentle tug.

Any liquid left in the pan after steaming the mussels can be strained through a fine mesh strainer and kept in the freezer. This mussel stock is perfect for risottos or paella.

Many people believe that any mussels that do not open during cooking need to be thrown out and not eaten. This is incorrect. The real test of whether a mussel is safe to eat happens before cooking, not after. All the mussels in the pan are dead — you’ve just cooked them! What matters is whether they were alive and healthy before cooking. Mussels that have been dead for some time before cooking can spoil and become unsafe to eat. These are the ones to avoid.

To determine if a mussel is safe to cook:

• First, check the shells. Discard any mussels with broken shells.

•  Second, if any are open, check whether they are alive and responsive. There are two simple ways to test this:

a) Tap them firmly on the bench

b) Place them in cool tap water. Live mussels will react to the fresh water and close.

A live mussel will close; one that stays open should be discarded.

The mussels that pass these checks are fresh and safe to prepare. A mussel that was alive before cooking is safe to eat — even if it remains closed after cooking.

Mussels that do not open during cooking are often simply the largest ones. Not liking the hot environment of the pan, they clamp down tightly and steam in their own juices. When opening these with the point of a sharp knife, take care, as the shell can contain hot liquid that may scald you.

Shoestring chips, or "French fries", are the most common accompaniment with mussels in France, along with crusty bread. Frozen shoestring chips only take 6-7 minutes to cook and so are a great accompaniment, as both dishes are on the table in under 15 minutes.

With chips being my favourite food, perhaps that's why I love mussels so much!

Serves 2

• 1 kg fresh mussels
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 30 g butter
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 30 g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white section only, finely sliced
• 100 ml coconut milk
• 100 ml thickened cream
• Coriander leaves, finely chopped
• Shoestring chips, fried, to serve

Soak the mussels in fresh water for 10 minutes.

Place the mussels in a single layer in a large pan with a tight-fitting lid. You may need to do this in batches. Cover with the lid and steam the mussels until they open, removing them to a bowl as they do. You can tell most have opened when there is a dense foam of bubbles under the lid.

Once the mussels have cooled enough to handle, de-beard them.

In a clean pan, melt the butter with the oil until it starts to foam. Gently sauté the shallot, chilli, ginger and lemongrass until soft. Add the coconut milk and cream.

Return the mussels to the pan, stirring to coat with the sauce. Place the lid on and gently cook for 3-4 minutes to reheat the mussels.

Sprinkle with coriander and serve with shoestring chips.